Grading or separating machine



S. MARSHALL.

GRADING 0R SEPARATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20,, 1919.

1 ,341 ,57 1. Patented-May 25', 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I vvuemtoz S. MARSHALL.

GRADING 0R SEPARATING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1919. 1,341,571.

2 SHEETS$HEET 2- Patented May 25, 1920.

UNITED stares raren'r OFFICE.

SYLVESTER MARSHALL, 0F ATHENS, OHIO.

GRADING OR SEPARATING MACHIN Application filed May 20, 1919.

To all whom it may 0091mm Be it known that I, SYLvns'rnn MARsI-IALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Athens, in the county of Athens and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grading or Separating Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to grain separating or grading machines of the general character disclosed in my Patents 1,198,395, granted September 16, 1916, and 1,228,800, granted June 5, 1917, having for its primary object to improve and simplify the construction of such separators to such extent as to enable the machines to better function and to perform the separating operation in a manner which will reduce to a minimum the possibility of loss of seed or the improper separation thereof.

Further objects are to provide a separator or grader capable of using screen surfaces having openings or meshes of greater size than the transverse dimensions of the larger seed to be separated, but which operates in such manner as to prevent the lar 'er or better grain kernels passlng through the.

screens, while at the same time enabling round or small seed grains of the same transverse dimension as the large seed to readily and rapidly pass through and be collected in a suitable receptacle. Furthermore, the invention aims to provide improved means for feeding the seed to the separating screens in proper quantities, and for causing the seed to pass in a mass over the screen surfaces. The invention also contemplates means whereby the screen surfaces may be removed easily and quickly and replaced by screens having different sized meshes; novel means being provided for securing the screens tightly in proper position in the frame or drum without the use of screws, nuts, bolts, etc.

The invention also includes improved means for causing the separating drum to be rotated at even speed and intermittently without the expenditure of a great amount of energy, means of an improved nature being employed for transmitting the power of i a constantly rotating power shaft to the separating drum and transforming such motion so as to develop a step by step rotation in the drum; the power transmitting means being of such character as to be set so as to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1920.

Serial No. 298,441.

The above and other objects are accom plished by the mechanism disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a vertical sectional View taken through the improved grading machine,

Fig. 2, is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3, is an elevation of one end of the drum and illustrating the means employed for imparting rotary movement to the drum, and

Fig. 1, is a fragmentary sectional view of the drum and illustrating the manner in which the screens are held in the drum.

The supporting base of the improved separating apparatus is indicated at 10, and comprises a frame having end members 11 which support the ends of an inclined drum or screen supporting shaft 12. The screen is constructed in the form of a polygonal drum 13, through the longitudinal center of which the shaft 12 passes. The upper end of the drum is provided with a polygonal head 01' plate 14, of equal size with the transverse dimension of the drum, and is securely fastened to the latter. This head has a central opening as shown in the drawings. The lower end of the drum is open so that the larger and better seed grains may pass freely therefrom and be caught in a suitable receptacle or delivered to a fanning mill attachment. The lower and upper ends of the drum are inclosed by the metallic bands 15, and bars or plates 16 disposed parallel to the drum shaft connect these bands. These bars may be made of light metal, and are arranged one at the juncture of the angularly disposed sides of the drum. Rivets may be used to secure these plates to the bands at the drum ends. The lower open end of the drum is provided with a spider or crossed bars 17 which strengthen the framework of the drum and enable the said end of the latter to be firmly secured to the shaft 12.

The upper end of the drum is divided so as to provide a feed compartment or chamber, a plate 18 of polygonal shape being fitted within the drum and spaced slightly from the apertured plate 14. The band 15 at the upper end of the drum constitutes the bottom of this chamber, and the plate 18 near its outer edges is provided with spaced screen.

openings 19 to enable grain within the compartment to pass in limited quantitles into the screening chamber.

A screen 20 is arranged in each space between the several bars 16, and these screens rest at their longitudinal edges upon the said bars, The frames which carry these screens are capable of being slid into position from the open end of the drum, the said screens extending throughout substantially the entire length of the drum. The screens are held against lateral movement within the drum by the ends of the partition members 21 riveted upon the said bars 16 and disposed transversely thereof These partition members are of substantially L-shape, and the uprightportions of the same form between them pockets or buckets to receive the grain as it gravitates from an inclined side of the The ends of the base portions of these partition members terminate a short distance inwardly from the longitudinal edges of the bars 16 so as to permit the screen edges to rest upon the said bars, and

the overhanging portions 22 of these partition members will prevent the screen frames becoming deranged or moved radially of the drum. Any suitable means may be provided at the lower end of the screen drum to hold the screen frames from becoming accidentally removed from the drum. It may be found desirable to eliminate all of the overhanging portions 22 with the exception of threeor four at different points throughout the length of the ;drum, or the screen frames may be held with sufficient security by one of such overhanging portions at each end of the drum. Furthermore, this particular means for fastening the screens in position may be dispensed with and cross pieces of short distance upon their respective bars 16, and I constitute shallow pockets d1sposed transversely ofthe said bars and open at both ends. Grain contained within 1 the chamber or compartment at the upper end of the drum willyby reason of the angularity of the latter, pass through the openings 19 in plate 18 and into the screening chamber. As

the screen rotates in clockwise direction, the

grain will be carried by the lowermost bar 16 and in the pockets until the latter start upwardly, whereupon the grain Wlll gravitate and flow ina body over the inclined screen surface until it reaches the next succeeding bar 16 and its pockets. The rotation of the drum is sumciently rapid to cause the grain to be carried upwardly to fully 45 before the grain starts to flow from the rear ends of the pockets, so that the grain is suddenly "precipitated in a mass down the inclined.

screen surface. During this flow over the screen surface, grit, chaff, dirt and small seed will pass through the screen and will. drop into the collecting trough 23, from whence it will flow to a suitable container 24. It will be observed that this trough extends throughout substantially the entire length and breadth of the drum. The angularity of the drum causes the grain to flow toward the lower or delivery end thereof, whereby the screening or separating operation is facilitated, but it will be noted that the seed in mass must be many times passed over the screen surfaces before the open end of the drum is reached, and during the passage of the grain in this manner from the receiving to the discharge end of the drum, the im purities and small seed of inferior quality are effectively separated from the larger or more desirable grain. As the grain does not strike and flow over the screen surfaces until the latter are in inclined position, screens having their meshes larger than the transverse dimension of the seed grains maybe used without likelihood of the larger grains passing through, the angularity of the screen surface preventing such action.

The grain is fed to the chamber at the upper end 'ofthe drum through a chute 25, the latter receiving grain dropped from a hopper 26 supported by the frame 10. This hopper is provided with a discharge nozzle or opening 27 which has a gate or slide 28 arranged therein to regulate the flow of grain.

It is desired to have the separating drum rotate intermittently or in a step by step manner, and the drum will be' inactive or stillmcmentarily when each of the series of pockets arrives at about 45 from the horizontal. When this position is reached, the grain will flow in a mass over the screen surface immediately in the rear of the said pocket series to the next succeeding row or series of pockets. After this short period of inaction, the drum is again rotated until the next succeeding screen surface arrives at l about a 45 angle, whereupon the drum again ceases momentarily to move, and so on. This step by step rotation enables the grain carried upwardly by one series of pockets to flow downwardly over'a screen surface only while the latter is disposed at an angle, during which flow some of the smaller seed, grit, chaff, etc., will pass throughthe screen and be delivered to the receptacle provided. The remaining grain will be received inthe next succeeding series of pockets. This operation is repeated until the larger and more desirable grainfor seed flows tothe lower end of the drum, whereuponzit will be deposited in the receptacle provided.

A- power shaft 35 is journaled in the frame 10 near the receiving end'of the drum, and this shaft may be rotated by hand or by a motor or other suitable power agency. In the present instance a crank 36 is provided so that the shaft may be rotated by hand. This shaft has affixed thereon a double or 8-shaped cam 37, engaging a foot 38 at the lower end of an arm or lever 39 pivoted inwardly from its ends upon the drum shaft 12. This arm carries a pawl 4.0 at its upper end which is operatively engaged with the teeth of a ratchet wheel 41 afiiXed to the drum shaft. A pawl 42 secured to a suitable support also engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel to prevent the latter rotating in retrograde or counter-clockwise direction. The upper end. of arm or lever 39 has connected thereto one end of a contractile spring 4-3, the opposite end of which is connected to the frame or other support, and this spring tends to hold the arm retracted and to maintain the foot of the lever at all times engaged with the cam face. lVhen the newer shaft rotates, the enlarged portions 0' the cam will cause the foot of the lever to move outwardly, whereupon the upper end of the lever will move inwardly and the pawl carried thereby and engaged with the ratchet wheel will cause the drum shaft to rotate in clockwise direction. As soon as the shallow portions of the cam arrive in coincidence with the foot of the lever, the latter will be permitted to be retracted; the spring 43 causing this movement of the lever. The pawl carried by the lever will idle over the teeth of the wheel, and the latter is held against counter-clockwise movement by the pawl as. The operation is repeated as the larger and shallower portions of the cam operate alternately upon the foot. This construction enables the drum to be intermittently rotated or advanced from a shaft which is constantly rotating, and it will be understood that cams of different sizes and shapes and having enlargements and depressions in numbers different from those illustrated may be used when it is desired to develop in the drum shaft varied degrees of rotation, or a greater or less number of advancing movements upon each complete rotation of the power shaft. The power transmitting means is arranged so as to cause the drum to move each time a distance equal to the width of a screen surface. When such movement has been accomplished, the foot of the lever will have arrived at one of the cam depressions and will again be acted upon as the next cam enlargement is presented. Each of the screen surfaces is thus moved to substantially a 45 angle to the horizontal and halted, so that the grain will be caused to properly flow across the surface. Should it be desired to have the drum halt with the operative screen surface at a different angle from that shown, the pawl 42 may be lifted and the drum moved backward the desired distance. The angularity of the screen surfaces when in operative position will be governed by the character of the grain or seed which is to be treated, as will be understood.

The screen drums may be made in any desired lengths, and a chaff blower may be used in connection with the drum if desired. An air nozzle 45 is arranged near the lower end of the drum so as to direct a stream of air through the screens and upon the contents of the latter. This stream of air flows at an angle such as will cause straw, chaff, hulls, etc, to be blown out of the open end of the drum.

Should it be found desirable to change the pitch or angle of the drum, to cause the grain to flow more or less rapidly through the drum. the end frame 10 at the upper end of the drum may be made vertically adj ustable, as shown, set screws 4L6 being used to hold the frame portions in adjusted positions.

When necessary to pass the grain through a greater number of screening operations than is possible with a single screen drum, the drums may be arranged in series, one above the other, so that the grain passing from the open end of the upper drum will drop into the hopperi of the next lower drum, and so on, until the grain has passed through all of the drums of the series.

It will be observed that the forward edges of the upright portions of the partition members 21 are inclined rearwardly so as not to form shoulders against which straw, sticks, etc.,might lodge to choke the machine or impede the grading operation.

I claim 1. A grader or separator comprising a polygonal sieve having its axis disposed at an angle, pockets open at both ends arranged in said sieve at the juncture of the sides thereof, and constituting channels disposed at right angles to the axis of the sieve, and means for intermittently rotating said sieve, the said pockets adapted to retain the contents of the sieve until the sides of the latter are disposed at a predetermined angle.

2. A grader or separator comprising a polygonal drum, a feed compartment at one end of said drum and having openings establishing communication between the compartment and the drum, pockets arranged in series within the drum and adjacent to said openings, a constantly rotating shaft, and means operable from said shaft to cause the drum to rotate intermittently.

3. In a grader or separator, an inclined polygonal drum, plates extending longitudinally of the drum at the juncture of the angular sides thereof, a series of partitions on each plate disposed laterally of the latter, screens detachably arranged; between the several'plates of the drum, a chute for feeding grain to the upper end of the drum, and means to cause the drum to rotate intermittently.

In a grader or separator, a rotatable polygonal drum, plates extending longitudinally of the said drum at the juncture of the angular sides of the latter, partitions arranged in spaced relation upon the said plates and having their ends protruding slightly beyond the longitudinal edges of the latter, screen frames slidably arranged in said drum sides and being held therein by the said protruding ends of the partitions.

5. In a grader or separator, a drum adapted to rotate intermittently and being of polygonal shape, pockets and openings in said drum adjacent the juncture of the angular sides thereof, means for rotating the drum, and means for controlling the distance the pockets will be from the ground when the drum is inactive.

' the junctures of the sides thereof, a plate in said drum near one end thereof and constltuting one Wall of a feed compartment, the said plate having a series of openings therein each positioned near the outer edge of the plate and adjacent to one of said pockets, and means for intermittently rotating said drum, the said drum being at rest when the said pockets arrive successively at the lowest point in the rotation of the drum.

8. A grader or separator comprising a drum, pockets arranged in series within said drum, a plate near one end of the drum and constituting one wall of a feed compartment, the said plate having openings near the outer edge thereof and adjacent to the said pockets and means for intermittently rotating said drum, the said drum being at rest when said openings arrive successively at the lowest point in the rotation of the drum.

9. A rotary polygonal screen drum for grading grain, every screen surface having its meshes larger than the greatest dimension transversely of the largest grain to be graded, and mechanism for rotating the drum intermittently, the said mechanism being constructed to stop the rotation of the drum when the operative screen surfaces thereof arrive successively at substantially a angle. 7

10. The process of grading grain consisting f introducing the grain to an intermittently rotating polygonal screen drum having meshes of larger size thanthe greatest dimension transversely of the largest of the grains, so that the grains pass over the said screen surfaces only when the latter reach a predetermined inclination.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

SYLVES'IER MARSHALL. 

